CHAPTER 96: CHAPTER95-WILLING TO SERVE AT THE PRESIDENT’S BECK AND CALL

Vincent’s voice trembled beyond his control.

"My lord... were you telling the truth just now!?"

Please—

Who would choose oblivion if there’s a chance to live?

Even setting aside the possibility of advancing further, the chance to simply continue living was already priceless!

Leo turned back, a knowing smile playing on his lips, as if everything rested firmly in his grasp.

"Of course it’s true. However..."

"Didn’t you just declare that you would never bow to another?"

A flicker of embarrassment crossed Vincent’s face, but he straightened at once and answered solemnly.

"My lord, you misjudge me!"

"When the Human Mage Tower was founded, it was to follow the supreme being capable of leading humankind."

"I, as the former Master of the Mage Tower—while your daughter is the Tower’s current master and bearer of the Holy Sword—am merely obeying the guidance of the Goddess of Fate by following you!"

Hearing that grandiloquent yet unassailable argument, Leo chuckled.

With a casual flick, he tossed over the crystal vial.

Vincent did not hesitate. He drew the golden liquid into his soul in one breath.

BOOM!

An oceanic surge of life force and sacred energy erupted at once.

His once-ethereal soul began to solidify at a speed visible to the naked eye!

And that was only the beginning.

Leo produced a single drop of aether source liquid, as though distilled from the origin of the universe itself, and let it fall into Vincent’s soul core.

Vmmm—!

Vincent’s soul burst into prismatic light, undergoing a fundamental elevation—a metamorphosis in essence!

"T-this... this sensation!"

Vincent could hardly contain his excitement.

"It’s not over yet," Leo said idly.

No sooner had those words fallen than Vincent’s now-dense soul began to heave with violent undulations.

Bone, vessels, and muscle—

A brand-new body, faintly luminous, re-formed around the soul’s core with breathtaking speed!

A few minutes later,

a man with long, golden hair and deep, unfathomable eyes stood reborn in the world.

This newborn vessel surpassed his former body in every respect—brimming with limitless potential.

Feeling the long-lost reality of flesh and blood, the torrent of strength thrumming beneath his skin, Vincent’s emotions surged to the brink.

But the greater shock was yet to come.

His power—once stalled at the peak of Sanctuary Radiance Rank—began to climb uncontrollably, soaring higher and higher!

Peak Sanctuary Radiance... early Sanctuary Fire Rank... late Sanctuary Fire... and then—Sanctuary Decree Rank!

Only then did that vast power settle and stabilize.

Vincent stood there, dazed, feeling the might within him that far outstripped his former zenith. For a moment, he could not even speak.

He had... already reached Sanctuary Decree Rank!?

Leo, too, was slightly surprised. But a careful probe told him all he needed to know.

Vincent’s foundations were exceptionally deep; he had been stuck at a bottleneck for countless years.

With the nourishment of the heaven-defying aether source liquid, such consecutive breakthroughs were only natural.

"I, Vincent, swear by the Holy Sword and by magic itself: in this life, I will serve you with unwavering loyalty and follow in your footsteps unto the end of my soul!"

Reborn, Vincent dropped to one knee without hesitation, offering Leo both his allegiance and his oath.

Leo had given him not merely rebirth, but a future too vast to imagine.

And more—despite Vincent’s rise to Sanctuary Decree Rank, he still could not fathom the depths of Leo’s power.

That only deepened his awe and submission.

Leo nodded, satisfied.

"Vincent, the Masters of the Sky Council and the Church of the Divine Edict should be in a state similar to yours, yes?"

Vincent instantly understood Leo’s intent.

"You mean...?"

Leo inclined his head.

Vincent nodded in return.

Having chosen to follow this unfathomable being, persuading his two comrades from the old days to do the same was only right—for their sakes as well.

"My lord, allow me to lead the way."

Thus, the two left the ruins of the Human Mage Tower and set off toward the Sky Council’s remnants.

Meanwhile, deep within the Sky Council ruins, the Council Master Hugo fixed his soul’s gaze on the familiar aura wafting from the direction of the Human Mage Tower. A welter of emotions churned within him.

"Vincent... you damned scoundrel!"

"We swore to burn away the last spark of our souls together for the sake of our creed—and you’d been hiding a back door this enormous all along?!"

"Liar! I won’t forgive your betrayal—not even if I’m annihilated!"

Hugo’s fury roared inside him.

A brother’s success can sting far more keenly than one’s own failure.

Just then, two silhouettes appeared as if strolling through a garden, ignoring the layered prohibitions of the ruin.

It was Leo—beside him, Vincent, fully reborn.

"Hugo. It’s been a long time," Vincent said first.

Hugo shot him a glance, then turned his wary attention to the unfathomable Leo at his side.

With a cold snort, he averted his gaze and refused to answer.

Vincent looked a touch awkward, then quickly recovered.

He briefly explained his own rebirth and breakthrough, as well as Leo’s identity and purpose.

When he heard that Vincent had not only recovered, but had leapt straight to Sanctuary Decree Rank, Hugo’s soul trembled with shock—his face etched with disbelief.

"Vincent, y-you’re not lying to me!?"

Vincent released a mere thread of Decree-level pressure.

"What do you think?"

Feeling that power—undeniably superior even to Hugo’s own prime—Hugo’s expression grew grave.

Carefully, he turned to the ever-smiling, silent Leo.

"My lord... could you truly restore me as well?"

He dared not even hope for a breakthrough.

To live again would be enough.

Leo smiled.

"Restoration is no problem. The question is—what price are you willing to pay?"

Hugo drew a long breath, knowing the moment that would decide his fate had come.

After a heartbeat of silence, he answered with resolve,

"If you grant me rebirth, I, Hugo, will swear to follow you to the very end of my soul."

In the face of survival—and the hope of further ascent—pride felt paper-thin.

Besides, a being who could casually elevate someone to Sanctuary Decree Rank was wholly worthy of his all.

Leo nodded, pleased.

It was always easier with the clever ones.

He did not belabor the point. He bestowed upon Hugo the Soul Restoration Water and aether source liquid as well.

Not long after,

a man brimming with surging vitality and radiating the pressure of Sanctuary Decree Rank stood again at the pinnacle of the Sky Council’s heights!

Feeling the power raging within, Hugo was moments from loosing a triumphant roar—

but one look from Leo stilled him.

He immediately contained himself, dropped to one knee, and declared:

"I, Hugo, swear here and now—I will follow you forever!"

Thus, of the three ancient leaders of the old factions, two had already come under Leo’s banner.

Only the Master of the Church of the Divine Edict remained.

Just then, a commotion drifted in from the outskirts of the ruin.

"Look!"

"There’s an abnormal energy spike over here—there must be a treasure!"

"Patriarch, Lady Elizabeth—slow down! Beware of triggering the ancient wards!"

Leo’s brow arched slightly.

So, Elizabeth and the undead race had arrived.

Noticing the shift in Leo’s expression, Hugo asked respectfully,

"My lord, you know them?"

Leo gave a faint nod.

"There’s someone from Dalton in that party."

Dalton’s heart lurched. With an urgent gesture, he dispelled a hidden trap ahead—one that could have shredded even a Divine Monarch Rank expert.

Soon, Elizabeth’s group emerged at the far end of their sightline.

At the sight of Leo and his two companions, they faltered, then immediately fell into defensive formations.

"Lady Elizabeth, be careful! There are people ahead!"

The undead patriarch Hardiman barked the warning.

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes, studying the trio—then suddenly spoke.

"President... my lord?"